The present invention relates to an internet connecting system in order to connect a computer to an internet while utilizing the telephone number information service provided previously.
Description of the Prior Art
An internet communication is implemented while connecting a personal computer to the internet. Generally, a user of the personal computer attempts to make telephone charges cheaper when the user connects the personal computer to the internet. The user is conscious of the place where the personal computer is set in order to make telephone charges cheaper. The user attempts to make a telephone call to an access point of a most nearest provider to the establishment place of the personal computer. The establishment place of the personal computer is a prescribed place such as user's home or user's workplace. On this occasion, it is suitable that the user makes a telephone call to a prescribed access point that is the most nearest to the establishment place of the personal computer.
However, when the user attempts to connect a portable personal computer to the internet at the place where the user has gone, or at the place where the user has made an official trip, the user undergoes hardships considerably for finding place of an access point of the most nearest provider to the place where the user exists. Furthermore, even though the user had known such the access point beforehand, it is possible that the telephone number of the access point is altered at a later time.
Moreover, in the first place, it is difficult that the user sets the access point to the personal computer regardless of the fact that the personal computer is a portable personal computer or the personal computer is an installation type personal computer such as a desktop personal computer and so forth. Thus, the establishment of the access point causes connection to the internet to be difficult. The establishment of the access point becomes one cause of the difficulty of connection to the internet undoubtedly.
One example of the prior art achieves this kind of the problem. The Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 9-319300 discloses above-mentioned technique as “Information Processing Device, Information Providing System and Information Acquisition Method”.
The official report describes technique of provision of information. There are information with local property in conjunction with a drive, a journey, a business trip, sports, or leisure. For instance, such information with local property is a hotel, a lavatory, a store, or leisure institution, and event information. The technique of provision of information is intended to provide such information with local property precisely and quickly from among a great deal of information.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional information processing system. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing of the conventional information processing system. FIG. 1 shows configuration example of a local information acquisition system 50 using a portable type information processing terminal equipment and a WWW server 50 to be an information providing system which provides information to the local information acquisition system 50. FIG. 2 shows the outline of the processing of the local information acquisition system 50.
The user attempts to obtain the local information. Firstly, it causes the local information acquisition system 50 to be rendered ready (STEP S41 of FIG. 2). An input-output part 53 outputs instructions to an information management part in order to acquire the local information 52 (STEP S42). Continuously, the information management part 52 starts a local information acquisition part 54, thus implementing processing in order to raise a WWW browser (not illustrated). A series of following processing is implemented.
Firstly, a position acquisition part 51 acquires information of the place where one is at present using a measurement part of GPS (Global Positioning System) (STEP S43). The GPS, as is generally known, consists of 24 artificial satellites that the American army launches, control stations on the ground, and mobile stations of the user. The GBS is a system which enables position on the plane of the mobile station itself to be known in such a way that it causes distance between the mobile station and the artificial satellites more than three to be measured.
Next, an access management part 56 retrieves the most appropriate (the nearest) access point with respect to the place where the user is now at present from an access point data base 57. If the appropriate means for the access point is for instance, a portable telephone or PHS (Portable Handy Phone System) or so forth, it causes the portable telephone, or the PHS or so forth to be connected to the access point (STEP S44).
Further, connection of the internet is implemented by dial-up IP connection (STEP S45). A URL (Uniform Resource Locator: a standard establishing means for accessing resource on the internet, and resource specifying method) of the local information acquisition part 54 specifies the WWW server 60. Connection to the WWW server 60 is established (STEP S46). Furthermore, the access point data base 57 stores therein position and telephone number of a plurality of access points.
Subsequently, the information such as the place where the user is at present is transmitted for the WWW server 60 (STEP S47). The WWW server 60 receives the retrieved local information (STEP S48), before indicating received local information (STEP S49). In FIG. 2, subsequent processing from STEP S50, explanation hereof is omitted, because that is not related to the present invention directly.
In the conventional technique described-above, the user can save his trouble for executing selection of access point, accordingly, when the user utilizes the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant: Portable Information Terminal Equipment), it is capable of using an internet tool such as an electronic mail in anywhere, anybody, at a lower price.
However, in the conventional technique described above, firstly, it is necessary to acquire information of the place where the user is at present in order to know an access point. Thus, there is the problem that means, and/or procedure therefor is required.
Secondly, there is the problem that it is necessary to provide portable information terminal equipment in which such means and/or procedure is realized in the condition of low price, reduced space, small dissipation power and so forth.
Thirdly, the GPS is utilized in order to acquire information of the place where the user is at present, however, the GPS is essentially configured for the sake of military affairs. For that reason, there is the problem that SA (Selective Availability) error is included therein. In the SA error, it causes measurement accuracy to be deteriorated intentionally for the sake of civilian user. As to this point, in the described official report, method of differential GPS (DGPS) which compensates using error information is adopted with the result that it is capable of obtaining the accurate coordinates. However, some burden can not be avoided.